About six years ago, Greenwich resident Lucy Langley was volunteering at Neighbor to Neighbor, a local nonprofit which helps those in need, when she had an idea.
While sorting clothes for distribution, she realized that underwear was the most under-donated, yet the most needed item of clothing. She decided that something must be done to address the issue.
Langley enlisted the help of her friend, Laura Delaflor, while the two were walking their dogs one day. “She told me what she thought, and I said, ‘Lucy, we have to do something about this,'” Delaflor recalled.
Langley and Delaflor co-founded The Undies Project in 2015 with the help of Neighbor to Neighbor, and it became a registered 501(c)(3) public charity on its own in 2016.
The mission of The Undies Project is to provide new underwear to men, women and children in need to improve their lives. Beneficiaries are either homeless, in shelters, or on low income.
“We had no idea when we started this how huge this need was,” Langley said.
The Undies Project distributes donations to 25 nonprofits in Fairfield and Westchester Counties that help the less fortunate.
“We believe the need locally is very, very big. People think that in Fairfield and Westchester Counties there’s no need. But there’s a huge need, bigger than what people think,” Delaflor added.
Wearing clean undergarments is something most people take for granted. The impact from The Undies Project on those who need them has been tremendous over the last few years.
“It might not seem anything huge to give a pair of underwear, but for dignity and self-esteem and hygiene, it does make a big difference in people’s lives,” Langley said.
A big supporter of The Undies Project has been the First Bank of Greenwich.
The relationship started with a meeting with FBOG President and CEO, Frank Gaudio, for tips on how to enlarge their reach after attending several successful artist receptions at the bank. Their banking relationship was soon solidified and they were offered to exhibit at the bank’s B2B event, where they were exposed to over 2,000 attendees. Langley and Delfalor were then invited to join the bank’s Advisory Board.
The bank was eager to become one of the first drop-off locations for donations for The Undies Project, with donation boxes in the lobbies of their Greenwich and Stamford branches. FBOG has also supported and sponsored the various fundraising campaigns for The Undies Project, such as the annual Cocktails & Comedy event, held in the fall, and most recently, Mardi Bra.
Coinciding with Mardi Gras, residents can drop off new bras at the FBOG until March 9. Last year, over 1,700 bras were collected.
The Undies Project is also a part of the bank’s Charitable Checking Program, which calculates bank members’ checking account balances to make quarterly donations to enrolled organizations. All donations come directly from the FBOG, and no monies are withdrawn from the nonprofit or supporters’ accounts.
“They are the perfect example of a small organization enrolled in our Charity Checking Program — one that operates on a tight budget where donations in are turned around quickly to purchase items they deliver to the community, but where their supporters allow them to earn dollars while they are at work supporting the neediest,” said Emily Newcamp, retail banking manager for FBOG.
FBOG assistant branch manager, Amy Huertas, added that she has enjoyed seeing the impact The Undies Project has had. “It’s amazing how their organization impacts surrounding communities and those in need, making the world a little better than how they found it,” Huertas said.
“The bank just embraced us. They’re a community bank so they’ve really supported us as a local nonprofit,” Langley said.
“The bank has nice, down to earth people. We like coming here; everyone is friendly and they know your name,” added Delaflor.
Gaudio mentioned how Langley and Delaflor’s dedication was evident from the beginning.
“When they first came in, I saw how compassionate they were for the work they were doing. I value that a lot when I deal with people here at the bank,” Gaudio remarked. “They really have done a great job with their organization, and they put a lot of work and effort into what they do. It’s turned out to be a really good thing for the community.”
Going forward, Langley and Delaflor want to increase their team of about 26 volunteers, and they want to move into a physical location, as they’re currently working out of their homes. The need for clean undergarments is unfortunately growing, and The Undies Project gets requests for help from out-of-state organizations, and from around the world.
But first, they’re hoping to address the need locally by adding 2-4 organizations to their list each year. They also want to continue outreach to let people know about the ongoing need for underwear for the less fortunate.
“We couldn’t do what we do without the support of the local communities and all the towns we’re involved with now, and without the support of individuals here at the First Bank of Greenwich and people who donate,” Langley said.
To learn more about Charitable Checking, contact Emily Newcamp at the FBOG at 203-302-4382. For more information on The Undies Project and how to donate or volunteer, go to theundiesproject.org.
